A celebration of the life of Michael Damian Rust was held Nov. 8 at the International Dance Club, 2422 Busch Ave.

Michael Rust is at far right in this photo of high-wheelers from the 2005 St. Patrick's Day Parade in Old Colorado City. He disappeared
this year and is presumed dead, with foul play suspected.

Westside Pioneer file photo

Mr. Rust has been missing since March 31, when he pursued unknown people who had burglarized his home in the San Luis Valley. Despite repeated searches of the
area, he is now “presumed murdered,” according to an obituary prepared by the family.
The son of Carl and Mary Jane Rust, Michael, 56, was one of six brothers and a sister who grew up in Colorado Springs. An avid cyclist and racer, Mr. Rust was
often seen in parades (including Old Colorado City St. Patrick's Day Parades with his brothers and friends) riding high-wheeled bicycles. Paul Rust, one of his
brothers, still manufactures high-wheelers at a Westside shop on Ore Mill Road.
According to the obituary, Mr. Rust “was well known in the biking community for his innovations in mountain bike and high wheeler design, and was inducted into the
Colorado Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1991.”